Fancy-knitting machine.



No. 742,358. PATENTED OCT. 27,1903. G. A. SANDERS. FANCY KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLIQGATION FILED AUG. 21, 1902. no MODEL. 8 SHEETS-SHEET ,1.

WTHEEEEEZ v No. 742,358. PATENTED OGT. 27, 1903.

G; A. SANDERS.

FANCY KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION-FILED AUG. 21, 1902. .H0 MODEL. 8 SHE.ETSSHEET 2.

I N aaw fi m: norms PETERS ca PHUTIJ-IJTHOYWASFINGTIN, u c.

No. 742,3.58. PATENTED 0GT.27,1903."

G. A. SANDERS. FANCY KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21, 1902.

no MODEL. a SHEETS-SHEET a.

Qflg k No. 742,358. PATENTED 001:. 27, 1903 G. A. SANDERS. FANCY KNITTING MACHINE; APPLICATION FILED :AUG. 21, 1902. H0 MODEL. 8 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

I P @d b V WITNESSES- N\/ENTE1K jzDZ4/ & umywfim M PATENTBD 0GT.27,190&

G.A.SANDER& FANCY KNITTING.MAOHINE.

PATE NTED OCT. 27, 1903. G. A. SANDERS. FANCY KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21, 1902.

8 SHEETS-SHEET"!- m m nd wi- .110 MODEL.

\JITNEESES- No. 742,358. PATENTED 001 27, 1903.

G. A. SANDERS. FANCY KNITTINGJMAGHINE.

urmouionn'nnn we. 21, 1902. no MODEL. 7 a SHEETS-SHEET a.

JAWQM tral vertical section.

UNITED STATES Patented October 2'7, 1903.

PATENT O FrcE.

GEORGE A. SANDERS, or LACONIA, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

FANCY-KNITTING ,MAC'HINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '742,358, dated October 2'7, 1903. Application filed August 21, 1902. Serial No. 20,445. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. SANDERS, of

Belknap, and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improve. ments in Fancy-Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to produce fancy-knit fabrics composed of tuck and rib stitches disposed in various ornamental ways,

depending upon the particular pattern mechanism employed. 1 1

In order that my improvements may be readily understood, I willdescribe them as embodied in a circular independent latchneedle ribbing-knitting machine. Such an embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a partial front elevation of the knitting-machine. Fig. 2 is a partial cen- Fig. 3 is an'elevation of part of the needle cylinder and dial, showingthe location and arrangement of the knitting-cams for the cylinder-needles and showing the knitting-cams developed in the plane of the drawings. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the dial, showing the knitting-cams forthedialneedles and also showing the vergeofthe needle-cylinder. Figs. 5 and 6 show difiere ent positions of the dial-needle cams, Fig; 6 showing the verge of the needle-cylinder, said verge not-being shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a plan-view, partly in section,illnstrating the devices for controlling the dialneedle knitting-cams. Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, illustrating the connections between the dialneedle knittingcams and their controlling devices. Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate in two dif-' ferent positions the star wheel and cams which actuate the devices which control the dial-needle cams. Fig. 11 is a detail illustratin'g the means for actuating thepattern cams.

needles I) and c, a rotary cam-ring 22, carry ing the knitting-cams which actuate the cyl Lakeport, in the city of Laconia, county of inder-needles, a rotary cam-plate 23, which carries the knitting-earns which actuate the dial latch-needles, and a rotary thread-guide 24: 'on the 'cam-plate, which delivers the yarn is an ordinary circular independent latchneedle ribbing-knitting machine, the characteristics, construction, and mode of operationof which are well-known.

The knitting-cams for the cylinder-needles are shown in Fig.3, but require no description, since they have no peculiarity. When the machine is in operation, the cylinderneedles aknit continuously in the usual way, since their cams are constantly acting.

The present invention relates to the dial needles, the means for controlling the same, and their coordination with .the cylinderneedles, the fancy efiects in the fabric being produced by appropriately actuating the dialneedles.

On referring to Fig. lit will be noted that there are two differing sets of dial-needles b and. c of different lengths, the short and long needles alternating, and that the nibs of these needles travel in two different cam-paths, each set of needles having its own knitting- The different pattern efiects are produced by themovement of the knitting-cams B, O, D, and E, of which the cams B and D actuate the short needles 1), while the cams C and E actuate the long needles 0. The cams B and C may be conveniently identified asfthreading-cams, since they determine by their differing positions whether the needles take the thread or .not, and the cams D and E may be conveniently called the castoff cams, sincethey determine by their positions whether the old loops on the dialneedles are cast off or not. The cast-ofi cams D and E are connected and move together, while the two threading-cams B and O are independently moved. The connection between the cast-off cams D and E is indicated in dot ted lines in Fig. 4 and is also shown in full lines in Fig. 2, as hereinafter described. The cams B, C, D, and E, togetherwith thre estoring-cams s 25, (see Fig. 4,) constitute the knitting-cams for the dial-needles. The knittoo ting-cams for the cylinder-needles are shown in Fig. 3, and they consist of the elevating or threading cam 00, the draw-down or cast-E cam y, and the restoring-cam .2. When the several cams are in the positions shown in Fig. 6, all of the dial-needles knit, and since, as shown, they alternate with the constantlyknitting cylinder needles a one and one ribbed fabric is produced. Fig. 4 shows the two connected cast-off cams D and E and the long-needle threading-cam 0 moved in toward the axis of the machine, while the threadingcam B for the short dial-needles remains out. As a consequence neither set of needles casts off the loops thereon, and only the short needles take yarn as the yarn-guide 24 passes. It will be noted in this position that the cam 0 draws in the long dial-needles before they can take the yarn, whereas the short dialneedles remain out long enough to take the thread, just as they do when knitting. The short needles, however, do not knit, but simply hold both the old and the new loops, because their cast-01f cam D is inactive. Fig. shows the arrangement of cams reversed as compared with Fig. 4-that is to say, the cast-off cams D and E remain in the same positions, but now threading-cam O is out, while threading-cam B is in. Consequently the short dial-needles are now wholly inactive (except to hold on to such loop or loops as they may have) and do not take any loops, while the long dial-needles now take loops, but cast off neither the old nor the new loops, because the long dial-needles are not moved out by the cast-01f cam far enough to carry their latches through the loops. These three views, 4, 5, and 6, show the three different dispositions of the dial knitting-cams of which the mechanism as illustrated is capable. As a result the two gangs of needles (dial and cylinder) may cooperate to knit a ribbed fabric, or the gang of cylinder-needles may continue to knit while first one set of the dial gang is tucking and then while the other set is tucking. By controlling the action of these cams B, C, D, and E through appropriate pattern mechanism it is obvious that various fancy effects in knit fabrics can be produced.

Suitable pattern and controlling mechanisms are illustrated in the drawings. As shown in Figs. 1 and 11, a cam 25 on the rotary ring 22 depresses a pawl 26, which is lifted by a spring 27. The pawl actuates a ratchet-disk 28 on a stub-shaft carrying a sprocket-wheel 29, which carries a. patternchain 30. Projections 3l and 32 on opposite edges of this chain swing in opposite directions a lever 33, which in turn moves a tappet 34 in and out of the path of a star-wheel A, carried by the rotary cam-plate 24. The star-wheel shaft is equipped with appropriate cams d efg, (see Figs. 3, 8, 9, and 10,) which as the star-wheel is rotated govern the location of the cams B, C, D, and E. The cams d and e cooperate with abntments 35 on a slide 36 to move the same back and forth,

and the slide is connected by arm 37 (see Fig. 8) and screw 38 to a slide 39, (see Fig. 2,) which carries the two cast-01f cams D and E, said slide 39 and cams D and E being suitably guided to slide radially in the cam-plate 23. Oonsequentlyas thestar-wheelArotates the cast-off cams are moved into and out of operation. The other two cams f and g on the shaft of the star-wheel (see Fig. 8) cooperate with abutments 40 on a slide 41, thus moving said slide back and forth. This slide swings a pawl-lever 42, pivoted at 43 to the cam-plate 23, thus actuating two spring-pawls h and i, which cooperate with a ratchet-wheel 44, turning on a stud on the cam-plate. In this way said ratchet-wheel is turned around. This ratchet-wheel carries two sets of tappets m and it, one below the other, (see Fig. 8,) the lower set, m, codperating with lever M and the upper set,n,with lever N, which levers actuate, respectively, the threading-cams B and 0. As shown in Fig. 6, each cam B and C is pivoted atp and each has a screw 0 tapping into it. As shown in Fig. 12, this screw projects through a slot in the capplate, and against the head of the screw bears a lever 45, pivoted at the same center as the actuating-lever M or N. This lever 45 has an ear 46, through which loosely passes a screw 47, tapping into the actuating-lever M or N. This affords an adjustable connection between the actuating-lever and the threadingcam which is alike for both threading-cams. The pivots p p of both threading-cams are also adjustable by means of the screws 48. (See Fig. 8.) These adjusting devices enable the threading-cams to be accurately adjusted by hand at will. These adjustments, it will be noted, are independent of the automatic movements imparted to the cams by the pattern-controlled mechanism. The threadingcams B and C are moved in (away from the verge of the dial) by the means just described and are moved out by the dial-needles coming in contact with their inner faces.

It is obvious that the patterns eventually produced will depend not only upon the pattern-chain, but also upon the location of the cams d, e, f, and g on the star-wheel shaft and upon the location of the tappetsm andn on the ratchet-wheel 44. By varying these several cams and tappets, as well as by varying the pattern-chain, numerous different fancy-knit fabrics can be produced.

The ratchet-wheel 44, with its tappets m and 'n, is held (where moved by the pawls h and t') by the friction-spring 49. (See Fig. 3.)

The dial 21 (see Fig. 4) is shown provided with alternating long and short radial grooves for the long and short dial-needles, respectively, thus enabling finer work to be done than would be the case if the grooves were all equally long. The short grooves,it will be noted, are located between the long grooves at the outer portion of the dial. The drawings show an equal number of needles in the two gangs alternating one by one and an IIO equal-number of needles in the two sets comprising the dial gang, also alternating one by one; but this arrangement is not essential and is susceptible of modification. It is also obvious that various means can be employed instead of the particular devices for controlling the threading and cast-off cams for the dial gang of needles.

I claim as my invention- 1. A fancy circular independent latch-needle ribbing-knitting machine having, in combination, a gang of cylinder-needles, constantly-acting knitting-cams therefor, a gang of dial-needles comprising two sets of alternating needles, a set of knitting-cams for each set of dial-needles, each of said sets of cams comprising a movable cast-oft cam, and a movable threading-cam, the two cast-off cams being connected to move together, and the tw othreading-cams being separately movable, and pattern-controlled mechanism for actuating said cast-off and threading cams.

2. A fancy-knitting machine, having, in

combination, two cooperating gangs of needles, constantly-acting knitting-cams for one of said gangs, the other of said gangs comprising two sets of needles, a set of knittingcams for each of said two sets of needles, each of said sets of cams comprising a movable threading-cam and'a movable cast-off cam, and pattern-controlled means for moving said cams.

3. A fancy-knitting machine having, in combination, a gang of needles comprising two sets of needles, two sets of cams for actuating the same respectively, each of said sets comprising a movable threading-cam and a movable cast-off cam,and pattern-controlled means for moving said cams.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE A. SANDERS.

Witnesses:

W. L. WOODWORTH,

ERNESTO. WHITEKER. V 

